Avalanche traps 150 in Russian tunnel

MOSCOW, Russia -- A rescue operation has been launched in Russia after an avalanche trapped hundreds of people in a mountain tunnel.

Rescue crews struggled against the weather to clear a way to the high mountain tunnel where almost 1,000 people have so far been rescued but where 150 remain trapped.

An Emergencies Ministry spokesman said the teams used tractors and snow ploughs but continued snowfalls and the threat of more avalanches was hampering the operation.

The ministry spokesman said rescuers had led nearly 1,000 people out of the tunnel.

He said workers were firing cannons into the mountains to start artificial avalanches and a nearby village had to be evacuated for fear of being engulfed by snow.

Russian television said people inside the two-kilometre (one-mile) long Roksk tunnel, on the border with Georgia, had to keep their vehicle engines running to keep warm.

To add to the crisis, the tight space was reported to be filling with exhaust fumes.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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The Government of the Russian Federation
Weather In Russia

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